Reddick deserves All-Star recognition

In the middle of the A's clubhouse over the course of the weekend was a box for the players' All-Star ballots. The ballots were sealed in an envelope and removed on Sunday. While the players didn't divulge who they voted for, A's manager Bob Melvin wasn't shy in admitting that Josh Reddick was one of his outfield submissions. Clearly the fans don't agree. Here are the latest numbers in the MLB All-Star voting for outfielders: OUTFIELDERS - ranked by voteJosh Hamilton, Rangers, 7,310,824- (.319, 22 HR, 64 RBI)
Curtis Granderson. Yankees, 3,812,339 - (.246, 21 HR, 41 RBI)
Jose Bautista, Blue Jays, 2,773,442 - (.237, 24 HR, 57 RBI)
Nelson Cruz, Rangers, 2,681,019 - (.258, 11 HR, 47 RBI)
Adam Jones, Orioles, 2,633,259 - (.300, 19 HR, 41 RBI)
David Murphy, Rangers, 1,738,805 - (.274, 7 HR, 25 RBI)
Nick Swisher, Yankees, 1,529,349 - (.268, 12 HR, 46 RBI)
Austin Jackson, Tigers, 1,212,881 - (.313, 7 HR, 30 RBI)
Jeff Francoeur, Royals, 1,183,817 - (.264, 6 HR, 20 RBI)
Brett Gardner, Yankees, 1,031,382 - (injured)
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners, 1,015,482 - (.273, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 10 SB)
Alex Gordon, Royals, 901,595 - (.264, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 41 Runs)
Nick Markakis. Orioles, 888,183 - (injured)
B.J. Upton, Rays, 881,785 - (.259, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 13 SB)
Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox, 775,261 - (injured)
Josh Reddick's name is suspiciously absent from that list. A glimpse at his numbers indicate that he deserves to be the first position player to represent the A's at the All-Star game since Ramon Hernandez in 2003. Reddick is batting .266 with 17 homers, and 38 RBI while playing in a pitcher's park. The Coliseum is also notoriously tough on left-handed hitters. Defensively he has five outfield assists, which tied him for first in the American League before the league took notice and stopped testing his arm. Reddick is second amongst AL outfielders in triples (4), tied for fifth in home runs (17) and runs (47), and tied for fourth in total bases (143). He also lifts the team when they need it the most. He is batting .295 (33 for 112) with nine home runs and 21 RBI with two outs. He is ranked second in the AL in two-out home runs. Reddick could help the AL All-Star team as a fourth or fifth outfielder. He has proven useful at the plate and defensively. With Ron Washington's decision to make Melvin one of the AL All-Star team coaches, his influence might be enough to get Reddick on the squad.Not DeservingThe All-Star game is for the fans, but fan voting is always suspect at best. Immediately, Markakis, Gardner, and Ellsbury can be removed from the list because they are currently injured. Gardner and Ellsbury have played in 16 games combined this season. Cruz, Murphy, Francouer, Suzuki, Gordon, and Upton are all underperforming this season. None of their numbers deserve All-Star recognition. Reddick's numbers trump almost all of their stats. Swisher and Jackson are ranked seventh and eighth respectively in fan voting. They are more deserving than the aforementioned players, but Reddick has played better than both of them. Deserving At 1 on the list, the fans got Josh Hamilton correct. There is no disputing what he has done. Curtis Granderson is hitting a paltry .246, and Jose Bautista's average is even worse at .237, but the rest of their numbers are clearly All-Star worthy.Adam Jones should be number two on the list. He is hitting .300, with 19 homers and 40 RBIs, and his .561 slugging percentage would rank him second-highest amongst the top vote-getters. Like Jones, Reddick hit 10 homers in the month of May. Not on the list but should beAside from Reddick, these are the outfielders that also should be considered All-Star caliber. Twins outfielder Josh Willingham's .390 on-base percentage is 10 points higher than Hamilton's (.380). He also has 15 homers, 49 RBIs and is hitting .275. Mark Trumbo is tied with Reddick for sixth in the AL with 17 home runs, his .980 OPS is the second-highest amongst outfielders in the league. The Angels slugger is also hitting .316. Angels rookie Mike Trout also deserves recognition, he is hitting .338, with seven home runs and 21 stolen bases.